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In chancellor search, Pa. chips away public input

It used to be that the names of the finalists for the highest-paid job in Pennsylvania state government — chancellor of the State System of Higher Education — were made public.

Not anymore.

In the coming days, the board of the 14-university school system is expected to announce its pick for the next chancellor after keeping the names of three finalists a secret.

Such secrecy is said to be an emerging trend in higher education to protect would-be candidates.

On Jan. 11, the state system’s board met and voted unanimously to make the entire search process confidential. One of the board members voting for that policy was Gov. Tom Corbett’s then-secretary of education, Ronald Tomalis.

Tomalis is now apparently one of the three finalists. The last chancellor’s salary was $327,500.